Health gives Lulay edge in battle of Grey Cup QBs

VANCOUVER — When Buck Pierce was cut adrift by the B.C. Lions following the 2009 Canadian Football League season, his ex-teammates were disappointed to see him go.

Receiver Paris Jackson, in particular, took it harder than most. The two had roots going back to high school when Jackson’s team from North Vancouver played an exhibition game in Crescent City, California, against a team that featured Pierce as a freshman signal-caller, and as teammates with the Lions, they had a tight bond on the field.

“Buck and I had a great chemistry,” recalled Jackson. “I played the wide (receiver) position and he tended to find me in every little hole.”

Pierce’s departure opened the door for a young redhead named Travis Lulay to ascend to the starter’s job with the Lions, while Pierce, whose history of injuries prompted the decision by Lions coach and GM Wally Buono, was unemployed briefly before the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took a flyer on him

And Sunday afternoon at BC Place Stadium, in a game overflowing with storylines, the one that rises above them all, and should play the largest role in determining who hoists the Grey Cup for the 99th time early this evening, is the matchup at quarterback between Pierce and Lulay.

Pierce’s ex-mates were happy to see him get a chance with the Bombers, and while it’s been more of the same in terms of Pierce’s reckless style putting in harm’s way and, too often, on the sidelines, he has found a way to get this team to the brink of a first Grey Cup title since 1990.

“He plays off the edge, and any time a quarterback plays like that, he tends to get hurt,” said Jackson. “But I respect the kind of athlete he is — he gets back up. He might not be feeling a hundred per cent, but he’s going to give you all he has.”

“As a friend, I want to see him do well,” added Lions slotback Geroy Simon. “I just don’t want to see him play his best game that he’s ever played. I’d like to see him play well, and we still win. That would be the ultimate goal. Buck was a teammate for a number of years, and he’s been a friend since the day I met him. And you always want to see your friends play well, even when you play them. You just don’t want them to beat you.”

And both quarterbacks have that ability to do it on their own. Pierce’s numbers paled in comparison with Lulay’s this season — Lulay, quite rightly, was named the CFL’s most outstanding player on Thursday night — but, like his former understudy, he makes plays when the Bombers absolutely need them to be made.

“I think Travis has a little bit stronger of an arm,” said Calgary Stampeders offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson, who was the Lions’ starting QB when Pierce arrived in the CFL. “But when Buck is healthy, they’re both athletic, accurate, quick releases. I think Buck’s got the quickest release in the game. They’re both competitors, and tough guys — they’re very similar. But I just think Buck’s body, unfortunately, isn’t up to the same speed as Travis’ at this stage.”

And the reason for that, of course, is that Pierce has put that body at risk far more than any CFL quarterback in recent years. Where Lulay (and most other CFL quarterbacks) will run with the ball and slide to avoid contact, Pierce will try to extend a play. It sometimes pays off with more yards, but often results in unnecessary contact to a body that has taken an awful lot of it.

“It’s the way he plays, and some of it is self-inflicted,” said Dickenson. “He’s certainly a guy who takes more hits than he should, and sometimes you have to learn to fight another day. When the play’s over, it’s over — there’s no need to take that second or third extra hit. But the courage he plays with — I think that’s why his teammates love playing for him.”

But Lulay’s teammates are equally passionate about their own signal-caller, who has been simply splendid after the Lions got off to their horrid start to the 2011 season.

“Lulay is a quarterback that I haven’t seen in a long time,” said Jackson. “He has a little bit of Buck in him, a little bit of Dave Dickenson in him. He’s just so accurate and so smart as a quarterback. I can’t believe he’s only 28. He’s just one of those guys who’s a real team leader. When he comes in the huddle, he’s not super vocal, but he gives you a look. He makes eye contact with you. Buck didn’t do that; he led by being vocal and he led by example. They’re two different quarterbacks, and I respect them the same.”

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